Woman, 67, busted for alleged moonshine MARSHALL (AP) — Authorities in Searcy County have arrested a 67-year-old Harriet woman for allegedly selling illegal moonshine. Sheriff Kenny Cassell said Thursday an undercover deputy bought suspected moonshine at the residence of Edwina Pipkins. She’s charged with bootlegging and making moonshine. Deputies seized about 41 gallons of moonshine and gear allegedly used to produce the alcohol. Cassell said the undercover deputy went to Pipkins’ ...

New NWS technology to enhance forecastingLITTLE ROCK — The National Weather Service office in Little Rock has installed new technology that will more accurately track severe weather and provide faster warnings of dangerous situations, officials announced Wednesday. The Little Rock forecasting site has upgraded its NEXRAD Doppler radar software and hardware for dual polarization. The upgrade to “dual-pol” technology that will provide enhanced information about the size, shape, density...

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Arkansas News BureauThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

court rejects casino measure for Nov. ballotLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a proposed ballot measure that would have given a professional poker player the exclusive rights to operate casinos in four of the state’s counties. Nancy Todd’s proposed constitutional amendment seeking exclusive rights to run casinos in Pulaski, Miller, Franklin and Crittenden counties will appear on the November ballot, but the court ruled that any votes cast for or against ...

Slain TV anchor’s mom can sue hospital, workers LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The mother of a slain Little Rock TV anchor can proceed with a lawsuit claiming outrageous behavior by a hospital and three workers who illegally looked at her daughter’s medical files, but an invasion of privacy claim must be dropped, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday. Patricia Cannady’s lawyers argued last month that a lower court judge was wrong to throw out her lawsuit against St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center...

UAMS College of Pharmacy, Kroger partner for health screenings SaturdayUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Pharmacy students and Kroger will partner to give free health screenings at the 29 Kroger pharmacies throughout the state on Saturday, including Russellville. The screenings will include blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar checks and will be conducted on a walk-in basis from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at all Kroger pharmacy locations in Batesville, Benton, Cabot, Conway, England, Hot ...

Boozman announces spring 2012 internship programU.S. Sen. John Boozman announced that his office is seeking full or part-time interns to help staff in his Washington, D.C. and state offices during the 2013 spring semester. “As Congress plans to tackle the biggest issues facing the future of our nation, I want to invite interested students to apply to join us for a semester this winter and spring to be a part of these historic times,” said Boozman. The Washington intern program emphasizes bo...

State applies for grant for health care payment reformsLITTLE ROCK — Arkansas has applied for a $60 million federal grant for its planned overhaul of the payment system for health care providers, state Department of Human Services Director John Selig said Monday. Selig said the state Medicaid program submitted its application last week for the State Innovation Model Testing grant. The money would help the state transition from a system in which health care providers are paid for every service they...

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Arkansas News BureauThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Farm Bureau endorses tax hike for highwayLITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Farm Bureau said Monday it supports a proposed half-cent sales tax to fund construction of a statewide four-lane highway system. The tax proposal was referred to voters by the state Legislature and will be on the Nov. 6 general election ballot. If approved, it would finance a $1.3 billion bond program for highway construction. Also, counties and cities would receive more than $700 million for improvements to county r...

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Arkansas News BureauThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Chicago police find about 1,000 pot plants in city CHICAGO (AP) — In Chicago, a bustling urban metropolis where skyscrapers are as likely to sprout up as anything a farmer might plant, someone decided there was just enough room to grow something a little more organic: Marijuana. The plants grew even taller than the tallest Chicago Bulls. However, just days before the crop on a chunk of land the size of two football fields would have been ready to harvest, a police officer and county sheriff’s ...

Crawford: Tie budget, debt ceiling to amendment JONESBORO (AP) — Months after proposing to raise taxes on millionaires in exchange for a balanced budget amendment, U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford says he’s not backing down from the idea that angered conservatives who elected the Republican Arkansas congressman after he ran on an anti-tax pledge. Now the freshman lawmaker is going a step further, saying he won’t vote in favor of any efforts to increase the federal budget or borrowing limit unless Co...

Weather service in Little Rock gets radar upgradeLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The National Weather Service office in Little Rock has received an upgraded Doppler radar system to help improve weather forecasting and warnings. Sen. Mark Pryor joined weather service officials in making the announcement Wednesday in Little Rock. Officials say the Dual-polarization radar will provide enhanced information to meteorologists so they can better track, assess and warn the public about approaching weather danger...

Highland superintendent abruptly retiresHIGHLAND (AP) — The embattled superintendent of the Highland School District has abruptly retired. Assistant Superintendent Tracy Webb told The Jonesboro Sun the school board accepted James Floyd’s request to resign on Monday. Webb — who was appointed superintendent — says Floyd did not submit a retirement letter and that his reasons were not revealed. Efforts to contact Floyd were unsuccessful. The board had questioned Floyd about a 2010 trip...

Revenues up despite slip in sales taxesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas’ finance office said Tuesday that the state’s revenues are ahead of last year’s figures and are beating expectations, but officials said they’re worried about sales tax collections sliding for the third straight month. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said the state’s net available revenues in September totaled $494.7 million, which is $31.9 million above last year and $29.9 million above foreca...

AG honors slain Trumann officer for valor LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas’ attorney general honored a slain Trumann police officer Tuesday, noting that instead of running and hiding after being shot in the face, the policeman protected his sergeant. Jonathan Schmidt died April 12, 2011, after pulling over a car in his hometown. A videotape of the traffic stop showed that a wanted man in the back seat shot Schmidt in the face when the officer tried to detain him, then shot again as the off...

Todd pushes casino measure, despite pending suitsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Professional poker player Nancy Todd said Monday that she is campaigning for her proposed ballot measure about casinos even though the issue remains tied up in court. There are two pending lawsuits related to Todd’s proposed measure, which would give her exclusive rights to operate casinos in four Arkansas counties. The state has said the measure also would repeal a law allowing a Hot Springs horse track and a West Memphis d...

Governor urged to support clean energy effortsLITTLE ROCK — Environmentalists presented comments gathered from a series of town hall meetings on clean energy across the state to Gov. Mike Beebe’s office last week and urged the governor to support their efforts. Beebe is expected to release a clean energy plan this fall and present it to the Legislature next year. “As Gov. Beebe and his staff develop the first-ever energy plan for Arkansas, we ask that they hear the voices of hundreds of A...

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Arkansas News BureauThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Marijuana debate starts in earnestLITTLE ROCK — The state Supreme Court’s ruling last week that the medical marijuana ballot initiative is legally sufficient has cleared the way for a broader debate on its merits. Proponents and opponents say they are moving into campaign mode as voters prepare to decide barely more than a month from now whether Arkansas will become the first Southern state to allow the use of marijuana as a medicine. Questions to be considered include how the...

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Arkansas News BureauThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Teen shot, killed near Arkansas Baptist College LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A first-year Arkansas Baptist College student died after being shot while he and others changed a flat tire near campus, police and school officials said Friday. The student was identified by Little Rock Police Sgt. Cassandra Davis as Derek Olivier, 19. Olivier was changing the tire with two other people Thursday evening when someone started shooting, said school president Fitz Hill. He later died at a local hospital. Hill s...

Arkansas court upholds medical marijuana proposalLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a proposed ballot measure that, if successful, would make the state the first in the South to legalize medical marijuana. Justices rejected a challenge by a coalition of conservative groups who had asked the court to block the proposed initiated act from the November ballot or order the state to not count any votes cast on the issue. The measure would allow patients with qualifyi...

Drought impact pegged at $128M for ranchersLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The drought is costing Arkansas ranchers an estimated $128 million, according to a study from agriculture officials released Thursday. The study released by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture says some ranchers sold off their herds because they couldn’t afford to feed their animals. The $128 million figure is a conservative one that assesses only costs to ranchers, according to the study’s authors, Mic...